HoopsHype.com Rumors

Luol Deng and Taj Gibson are still sick. They missed practice Wednesday, checked in at the Berto Center today to listen to the game plan and are game-time decisions tonight. Brooklyn’s Reggie Evans was also out sick yesterday. Arlington Heights Daily Herald

Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets, Luol Deng, Reggie Evans, Injuries, Taj Gibson 

Tim Bontemps: Reggie Evans stayed home sick today. He will travel, and is expected to start and play tomorrow. Only Net listed on the team's injury report Twitter @TimBontemps

Brooklyn Nets, Reggie Evans, Injuries 

Stefan Bondy: Reggie Evans reinjured his shoulder Wed. but said it won't affect him: "I got to hoop. It’s do or die right now. I got all summer to relax." Twitter @NYDNInterNets

Brooklyn Nets, Reggie Evans, Injuries 

Is the the physical stuff that crossed the line? “Verbal can cross the line and physical can cross the line. Both of them can cross the line because sometime verbal is sometimes as worse as physical. So it’s just all depends on what you say verbally. If you get to saying some of the stuff he was saying, I’m kinda used to that on the streets. If your homeboy on the streets is saying that, it’s cool. But if it’s somebody that’s not your homeboy, it’s a good chance something can go down. So from a coaching standpoint, if you didn’t recruit me like that, and I go to arena and you start coaching me like that, I’m going to have to take it somewhere else. You expect to go into a good environment and learn from a guy for four years, five years, however long you’re there. And some players want to be coaches, and that’s nothing you want to learn from.” New York Daily News

Brooklyn Nets, Coaching, Reggie Evans, NCAA, Mike Rice 

The turning point for Reggie Evans occurred when he held his tongue and stepped out of character, avoiding conflict after a teammate told interim coach P.J. Carlesimo that the forward needed to be benched because he was an offensive liability. Evans, typically outspoken, said he left it alone at that moment instead of lashing back, using the insult as motivation before progressing into the most positively surprising season for the Nets. “I got frustrated one day when one of my teammates told my coach to take me out the game. I bit my tongue. I didn’t say nothing to (my teammate),” Evans said. “But me, knowing me, I usually attack and say something. I bit my tongue. I said, ‘OK.’ I said, ‘All right, start being aggressive.’ So I took it in a positive way, instead of just doing my normal self, like ‘What you say? What you say?’” New York Daily News

Brooklyn Nets, Reggie Evans 

Evans, typically outspoken, said he left it alone at that moment instead of lashing back, using the insult as motivation before progressing into the most positively surprising season for the Nets. "I got frustrated one day when one of my teammates told my coach to take me out the game. I bit my tongue. I didn't say nothing to (my teammate)," Evans said. "But me, knowing me, I usually attack and say something. I bit my tongue. I said, 'Ok.' I said, 'Alright, start being aggressive.' So I took it in a positive way, instead of just doing my normal self, like 'What you say? What you say?" New York Daily News

Brooklyn Nets, Reggie Evans 

Tim Bontemps: Reggie Evans when asked if he'd consider wearing goggles because of his eye issues: "Hell, no. Hell, no. I ain't wearing no goggles." Twitter @TimBontemps

Brooklyn Nets, Reggie Evans, Injuries 

Rod Boone: Reggie Evans also didn't practice, but did a heck of a lot of working out instead. Told me he'll be fine to play vs. #Blazers tomorrow. Twitter @rodboone

Brooklyn Nets, Reggie Evans, Injuries 

The Nets power forward, appearing on SiriusXM’s “Off The Dribble,” said he didn’t knock the fact the Heat claimed last season’s title at the end of a lockout shortened season before Wednesday’s blowout loss to the Heat. “I didn’t say it didn’t prove anything,” Evans said. “Those were not my exact words. I said they won a championship in a lockout season. That’s what I said. That was really about it. “I never said they did not prove anything. I just said they won a championship in a lockout season. That was it. I guess people just took it out of proportion, that’s all.” New York Post

Miami Heat, Brooklyn Nets, LeBron James, Reggie Evans 

Evans also said, “One thing about me, when I’m going to talk about you, I’m going to pretty much say it to your face. I’m not going to go in the media and say it through the media. It was kind of hilarious to me, because I think it was just blown out of proportion.” New York Post

Miami Heat, Brooklyn Nets, LeBron James, Reggie Evans 

Mike Mazzeo: Reggie on LeBron comments on how #Nets quit under Avery per @SXMBasketball: "Everybody has an opinion. If that's how he feels, cool." Twitter @MazzESPN

Miami Heat, Brooklyn Nets, LeBron James, Reggie Evans 

Mike Mazzeo: Reggie Evans says those weren't his exact words. "I just said they won a championship in a lockout season. I never downplayed it." #Nets Twitter @MazzESPN

Miami Heat, Brooklyn Nets, LeBron James, Reggie Evans 

Earlier Wednesday, Evans dismissed the Heat's championship-winning season by telling the New York Daily News: "It doesn't prove nothing. That was a lockout season." When James learned of the comments during the day, he tweeted: "Just keep throwing rocks at the throne, don't matter cause nothing can break my zone." ESPN.com

Miami Heat, Brooklyn Nets, LeBron James, Reggie Evans 

"You can't just come out and say something like that versus a champion," James said after the game. "No one knows what it takes unless you've done it. You can't sit here and judge and talk about a team winning a championship unless you've done it. (Evans) hasn't done it. “I’m not going to sit here and give Reggie Evans a lot of press because that’s what’s going to happen," he continued. "I’m going to give him a lot of press and people going to talk about Reggie Evans for the next couple of days when he probably wouldn’t be talked about.” NetsDaily

Miami Heat, Brooklyn Nets, LeBron James, Reggie Evans 

Then, to rub it in, he read off Evans' line on the stat sheet. "Let me look at his numbers real quick -- he had no offensive rebounds, so we did our number on him," James said. Then, there was the matter of points. Evans didn't score. James had 24. Evans didn't comment. He had escaped the Nets locker room before reporters arrived but later tweeted about the controversy. Some samples... NetsDaily

Miami Heat, Brooklyn Nets, LeBron James, Reggie Evans 

The Heat is just another team and LeBron is just another player to Reggie Evans, who indicated Miami's title run last season is diminished because the schedule was shortened. "It doesn't prove nothing," Evans told the Daily News when asked what it would mean to beat the defending champs. "That was a lockout season." New York Daily News

Miami Heat, Brooklyn Nets, LeBron James, Reggie Evans 

Evans admitted the Nets put themselves in that position by the way they played against Memphis. saying “You can do what you want.” But that didn’t mean he liked it. “We’re pretty much putting our subs in the game, and just to see you putting him in the game,” Evans said. “You’ve got Rudy and Zach still in the game. You still got Conley in the game and then you’re going to put [Gasol] in the game? It’s like, ‘Are you serious?’ “I’m kind of shocked, you know what I’m saying? It is what it is, but you can’t do nothing but respect it. It won’t be forgotten, though.” New York Post

Memphis Grizzlies, Brooklyn Nets, Reggie Evans 

Chris Ballard: Good Reggie Evans anecdote: Recently, colleague @Chris Mannix went to write mag piece on Reggie. Upon telling Evans, Evans didn't believe him and was sure he was being pranked. Reggie didn't buy that anyone would write a mag story on him. Twitter @SI_ChrisBallard

Brooklyn Nets, Reggie Evans 

Reggie Evans: Avery Johnson is a first class Coach and a First class Person, I learned a lot from him! Wishing him and his family nothing but the best Twitter @ReggieEvans30

Brooklyn Nets, Avery Johnson, Coaching, Reggie Evans 

Evans was warming up for the Nets’ Nov. 3 opener at Barclays Center when he spotted Stern near the court. He ambled over to congratulate the commissioner on his pending retirement. Stern said thanks, then hit Evans with a two-word retort that nearly knocked him over: “Don’t flop.” “He’s like, ‘Stop flopping,’ ” Evans recalled with a rueful grin in an interview last week. “David Stern told me that. I laughed. He was laughing.” New York Times

Brooklyn Nets, Reggie Evans, David Stern, Referees